Clamp for barrel heads



March 1, 1955 i F. MAUER 2,703,248

' CLAMP FOR BARREL HEADS Filed May 7, 1949 INVENTOR. FREDERICK MAUER H IS ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 2,703,248 Patented Mar. 1, 1955 2,703,248 CLAMP FoR BARREL HEADS Frederick Mauer, 'Matawam N. J.

Application May 7, 1949, Serial No. 91,983 z claims. (ci. 292-456.653v

This invention relates to improvements in barrels or other similar containers, and it relates particularly to an improved clamping mechanism for detachably clamping and retaining the heads in paper or iber barrels and similar containers.

Fiber or paper barrels are very commonly used at the present time for packaging powdered or nely divided materials. These barrels are usually formed by rolling or molding paper or iibrous material into the form of a hollow cylindrical shell and then securing a head in one end ofthe barrel. is shaped or spun during its formation to provide an inwardly extending shoulder near the open end of the barrel and a complemental groove in the exterior of the barrel. The inwardly extending shoulder serves as a seat for the removable head of the barrel. The head usually is retained in engagement with the shoulder by means of a split metallic clamping ring which has a iiange portion overlying the head of the barrel and a rim or ring portion extending downwardly along the side of the barrel. The downwardly extending ring portion Si has an inwardly extending flange which extends into the groove in the exterior of the barrel. While this arrangement is very simple and in most cases is fairly effective for retaining the head in the barrel, nevertheless it has the disadvantage of providing a zone of weakness near the end of the barrel. Violent impact produced either by dropping the barrel or by shifting of its contents will sometimes cause the grooved portion to break or collapse, thereby causing the barrel to leak.

Another disadvantage of the prior types of barrels is that the clamping means forthe split clamping ring is unduly complicated and expensive. Usually the latching and tensioning means includes a cammingmember which is rotated by a suitable lever to draw the ends of the clamping band together and draw the ange at the lower edge of the rim into the groove in the barrel.

Because of the arrangement of the camming mechanism,

the ends of the rim can be separated only a limited distance and this sometimes causes diiculty in applying the clamping ring or rim to the barrel.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior barrel construction and clamping means referred to above. n

A further object of the invention is to provide an 1mproved form of clamping ring and barrel construction whereby the strength ofthe barrel and damage are substantially increased.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simplified form of latching means for drawing the ends of the clamping band together and retaining the clamping band in irmly seated relation to the barrel.

In accordance with the present invention, I have provided a barrel or container which is providedwith internal and external ring-like reinforcements suitably located to provide a shoulder for supporting the removable head of the barrel and for serving as an anchoring rnedium for holding the clamping band on the barrel, respectively. By providing reinforcing rings adjacent the end of the barrel, this portion of the barrel is materially strengthened rather than weakened, as in the case of the prior containers wherein the end of thebarrel is deformed to provide the shoulder to support thev barrel head and to provide an anchoring means for the clamping band.

Another feature of the invention is a simplified form of latching mechanism for drawing the ends of the clamp- `its resistance to `ing band together in retaining relation. Generally, the

The opposite end of the barrel :a

latching mechanism consists of a hook member pivotally mounted on one free end of the band and having an inclined camming edge portion for engagement with a loop member carried by the opposite free end of the clamping band. With this arrangement, when the hook is forced into the loop, the ends of the clamping band are drawn together. They are retained in clamping relation by means of a suitably formed edge portion on the hook above the camming edge thereof. The hook and the loop may be provided with cooperating interfitting elements for retaining the hook Within the loop and, moreover, they may be provided with means for receivl ing a sealing wire so that the hook can be retained firmly in engagement with the loop without danger of inadvertent disconnection of these two elements.

The above-described latching mechanism is very effective in retaining the clamping band in position and is considerably less complicated than the prior devices inasmuch as the only movable element is the hook itself which may be formed by a simple stamping operation. Moreover, inasmuch as the ends of the band are free, the band may be readily applied to the container and drawn into position.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a View in front elevation of a typical barrel or container illustrating the clamping band applied thereto and in clamping relation to the barrel.

Fig. 2 is a view in section taken through the upper edge of the barrel illustrating the relation between the head, lcjlaimglsing band and other associated structure of the arre Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the latching mechanism f or the clamping band shown with the hook in open position;

Fig. 4 is a view of the latching mechanism shown with the hook in closed position;

4 Fig 5 is a view in section taken on line 5 5 of Fig.

Fig. 6 is a view in section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

`Referring now to Figs. l and 2, a typical barrel or container of the type embodying the present invention may include a generally cylindrical body portion 10 formed of paperboard o1'- the like and which may be yformed by winding paper around a mandrel and securadhesive. The lower end of the barrel 1t] has a bottom or bottom head 11 which may be secured permanently 1n position.

The upper or open end of the barrel, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is provided with an internal ring 12 formed of paper or paperboard which is secured by means of adhesive to the interior of the barrel in spaced relation to the upper edge of the barrel. The ring 12 forms a seat for the head 13 of the barrel which may be formed of paperboard, wood, metal or the like and ts snugly within the upper end of the barrel.

The barrel 10 also has an exterior reinforcing ring 14 formed of paper, corrugated board o'r the like which extends from the upper edge of the barrel down to a the lower flange be damaged.

The head 13 of the barrel is retained in place and is made substantially sift-proof by means of a ring member 15 of generally L-shaped cross-section which may be suitably formed of sheet metal. As shown in Fig. l2, 16 of the ring may rest against and be nailed to the edge of the head 13 to hold it in position while the upper beaded edge 17 of the ring'lS is disposed about in the same plane as the upper edge of the barrel 10 and the external reinforcing ring 14.v If desired, the ange 16 may be narrower `and engage in a groove in the edge of the head 13. The beaded edge 117 allso affords a means for gripping and `handling the arre The ring 15 and the head 13 are retained in position by means of a clamping band or ring 18 which extends around the exterior of the lip of the barrel and is provided with an upper flange 19 extending inwardly over the reinforcing ring 14, the end of the barrel and the beaded edge 17 of the retaining ring 15. The ring 18 is of split formation so that it can be easily applied to and removed from the end of the barrel.

The mid-portion or ring portion 18a of the clamping band 18 is about the same width as the reinforcing ring 14 and carries at its lower end an inturned flange 20 which engages below the lower edge of the reinforcing ring 14 to retain the band on the barrel when the free ends of the band 18 are drawn together by means of a suitable latching mechanism now to be described.

Referring now to Figs. 3 to 6, the latching mechanism may consist of a hook member 21 which is pivotally connected to one free end of the clamping band 18 by means of the rivet 22 or other equivalent device. The hook member 21 may consist of a narrow shank portion 23 which carries at its outer end a hook-like extension 24 having a curved inner camming edge 25 which terminates in a straight internal edge portion 26 facing the shank 23. The hook member 21 may be provided with an offset portion 27 spanning the recess 21a between the end of the shank 23 and the extension 24 in order to afford a strong and rigid connection between the extension 24 and the shank 23. Moreover, the offset portion 27 may be provided with an inwardly directed flange 28 as shown in Fig. 5 overlying the ange 19 of the clamping band 18. The ange 28 further stiffens the hook member and limits the downward movement of the hook member 21 around the pivot.

The curved and straight edges and 26 of the hook extension 24 cooperate with a loop or retaining member 30 carried on the opposite free end of the clamping band 28 so as to draw the ends of the clamping band together, as shown in Fig. 4. The loop member 30 may be formed of a fiat, generally rectangular strip of metal having its mid-portion 31 bent outwardly to provide a space for reception of the extension 24 of the fastening device. The outer ends of the loop 30 may be secured to the clamping band by means of rivets 32, spot welds or in any other desired way.

The relation of the retaining member 30 and the hook extension 25 is such that when the hook is pushed downwardly, its inner camming edge 25 engages the left-hand edge of the offset portion 31 of the retaining member, and, upon continued movement of the hook, causes the ends of the clamping band 18 to be drawn toward each other. In order to aid in retaining the hook portion 24 in the retainer 31, the edge 26 and the inner edge of the portion 31 may be inclined complementally at an acute angle to a line perpendicular to the axis of the hook as shown in Fig. 4, so that forces tending to draw the ends of the band apart will retain the hook extension 24 more tightly in the retaining member. Moreover, the hook portion 24 may be provided with a hole 33 and a recess 34 which are adapted to receive the inwardly extending detent in the offset portion 31 of the retainer. The recess 34 is shallow so that the hook may be retained in only partially inserted position, as for example, when the container is being shipped in an empty condition. The retaining action may be improved by forming the retainer 30 of spring steel. The hole 33 and detent 35 preferably are so related in size that when the detent 35 engages in the hole, a powerful retaining action is provided necessitating the use of a prying implement to detach the hook from the loop. To this end, the end of the ange 28 may be undercut or bevelled at 28a to facilitate the insertion of the prying implement.

In order to prevent accidental disengagement of the hook 24 from the loop 30, the left-hand end of the clamping band 18 may be provided with a longitudinally extending rib 36 which is stamped outwardly from the band and underlies and protects the lower edge of the shank 23 of the hook so that the hook member 21 cannot be pushed upwardly by engagement with another barrel, for example.

As a further safeguard against inadvertent disengagement of the hook, the loop member 30 may be provided with a tongue 37 at its left-hand end which underlies the corner 38 between the shank 23 and the recess 21a and protects it from catching on other containers and the like.

.The usual wire seal 39 may also be used with this latching mechanism by striking out a tongue 40 at the left-hand edge of the recess 26 of the hook member and a similar tongue 41 from the left-hand end of the loop member 30 and providing these tongues with perorations for receiving the locking or sealing wire 39. In this way, the hook extension 24 is positively retained in the loop 30 and the contents of the container are protected against tampering. The hook can also be sealed, it' desired by other means, for example, by providing a hole 40a in the ange 28 and running the sealing wire through this hole and through the retainer 30, also as shown in Fig. 4.

inasmuch as the above-described clamping hook has a camming action sufiicient to draw the ends of the clamping band together and also a strong locking action, the hook is not readily inadvertently released and it serves amply the purpose of clamping and retaining the head of the barrel in position with substantially fewer parts than were required heretofore.

It will be understood that the clamping band and the retaining hook may be suitably modified to conform to various types of containers and the like and that the barrel construction, as described above, may be used with equal facility in containers other than barrels. Therefore, the form of the invention described above should be considered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

l. A clamping band for securing a removable closure in the open end of a container, comprising a split ring member of generally L-shaped cross-section having opposed free ends, a substantially U-shaped retaining member having legs at its opposite ends fixed to the outer side of one end of said ring member and a base spaced from and substantially parallel with said outer side, one leg of said retaining member adjacent said one end of the ring member being inclined relative to the mid-plane of the ring member, a hook member, a pivot fixed to the other end of said ring member and substantially perpendicular to it, said pivot supporting said hook member at one end for pivoting movement around the axis of said pivot, said hook member having an opposite, transversely extending end portion engageable between the outer side of the ring member and the base of the U- shaped retaining member and disengageable therefrom, said opposite end portion having an inner camming edge inclined toward said pivot for engaging one end of said one leg of the retaining member to draw the ends of said ring member together as said opposite end portion is pushed between said retaining member and said leg member, said hook member having an adjacent edge portion at the inner end of said camming edge, said adjacent edge portion being inclined away from said pivot and complemental in inclination to the inclined leg of said retaining member when said opposite end portion is substantially fully engaged between said retaining member and said ring member and said inclined leg and edge portion coacting to urge said opposite end portion of said hook member into and retain it between said retaining member and said ring member in response to stresses urging the ends of said ring member apart.

2. The clamping band set forth in claim l comprising outwardly extending tabs on said hook member and said retaining member, each tab having an aperturey therein, said tabs being in adjacent substantially parallel relation and said apertures being in alignment when said end portion has fully engaged between said retaining member and said ring member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 811,88() Steensland Feb. 6, 1906` 1,509,512 Jobski Sept 23, 1924 1,589,874 Ewin June 22, 1926 1,597,978 Hulbert Aug. 31, 1926 1,625,335 Schneider Apr. 19, 1927 2,217,485 Kliegl Oct. 8, 1940 2,245,532 Severy June 10, 1941 2,264,641 Proctor Dec. 2, 1941 2,283,339 Phillips May 19, 1942 2,310,901 Van Horn Feb. 9, 1943 2,367,705 Wahsker Ian. 23, 1945 2,382,858 Carpenter Aug.. 14, 1945 2,456,047 Carpenter Dec. 14', 1948 

